SPOKANE, Wash
According to a study by Deloitte, families are expected to spend more than USD 500 on back to school this fall. It's estimated that they will spend USD 112 on school supplies alone.
Hundreds of students at Bemiss Elementary went back to school early to get a backpack filled with school supplies, and got a lesson in finance, too.
Students smiled from ear to ear as they used their 'debit card' to withdraw play money to shop at the Inspirus back-to-school pop-up store.
Students followed the Bemiss Bulldog paw prints through the store, picking out their favorite color backpack and new school supplies along the way.
"Events like these go to the core of what we stand for at Inspirus," said Inspirus Credit Union President, Scott Adkins. "It's rewarding to know that we're fulfilling an important need, and we enjoy watching how much fun the students have as they learn to budget, purchase their new backpacks, and save their money for more items throughout the store."
More than 87 percent of the students at Bemiss Elementary School are on free and reduced lunch. For the nearly 9 out of 10 families at the school struggling to make ends meet, the cost of school supplies is an additional expense that can be burdensome.
"All of us at Bemiss are so thankful for the donation of backpacks and school supplies for our students," said Bemiss Elementary School Principal Rachel Sherwood. "Without this donation, many of our kids would arrive on the first day of school without the necessary school supplies to ensure a successful year, and we know we're going to have a great year."
Inspirus provided more than $7,000 in school supplies to students at Bemiss. All back-to-school donations from Inspirus, totaling more than $40,000, will support 22,000 students this school year.
To learn more about the ways Inspirus supports education, visit www.Facebook.com/inspirusCU.
